Chapter 5) The Exalt and the King

We head for the Plegian border, to meet with King Gangrel himself to parley and negotiate for Maribelle's safe return and no war. I highly doubt we'd get either of those things, but Emmeryn gets points for keeping to her beliefs, even in such troubling circumstances.

I'm just damn certain those beliefs were going to get someone killed at this point. Keeping to pacifism during such tense times was to risk certain death, after all.

Cliffs. Cliffs, dotted with little forts, leftover from the old war. The terrain was perfect for hiding troops, especially the wyvern riders Plegia was famous for. This was also the area Gangrel picked, which all but guaranteed that he had soldiers set up. The question more became whether he'd strike immediately, or taunt Emmeryn.

Chrom, Robin, and I walked with Emmeryn as she approached where Gangrel was lounging, clearly bored. The Shepherds, as well as a unit of pegasus knights with Phila, were on standby a 'safe' distance away, close enough to react, but far enough to not be seen as an immediate threat. In theory. Lissa had wanted to come, but Emmeryn had asked her to stay back. I knew it was because we weren't certain if we'd see Maribelle… or her corpse.

"Robin," I whispered as we got close. He glanced back at me. "Whatever you do, keep your hood up and gloves on."

"Understood," he murmured. He checked both for emphasis, before reaching over and double-checking that my own hood was up. "We'll be careful."

"Yeah." By now, Emmeryn had stopped and Gangrel slowly rose, smirking as he stretched and took his time acknowledging us. I snagged Chrom's arm, having a feeling he'd need the extra help with his temper. He stiffened and jerked out of my grip, though, and I flinched back, wondering if I'd crossed a line. But he stared at me for a long moment and then, slowly and deliberately, took my hand.

"Might work better," he whispered. I smiled slightly in reply and nodded. "You sure?"

"I grabbed you to help you with your temper," I pointed out. I hesitantly stepped a little closer. Things had been a little… odd between us, since the strange conversation. Not awkward, but I, at least, was more nervous. "Gangrel's going to do his level best to rile everyone."

"And mine is probably the quickest of our little group." He sighed. "Thank you."

"It's really nothing. Just trying to repay some of the kindness."

"Kindness isn't something that needs to be repaid." He smiled at me and, a little shyly, pulled me even closer. "If anything, I owe you. You've done so much for me, I…" He trailed off, looking a little uncertain, before shaking his head and facing forward. "Later. This is too serious for such a debate."

"My, my, what is this~?" Gangrel asked then, looking down at us. It was time for the 'show' to begin. "The Exalt herself in all her radiance? I fear I must shield my eyes!" Gangrel cackled before sweeping into a rather elegant bow, for all that he looked like a court jester. "I do believe this is the first time we've met face to face."

"It is indeed, King Gangrel," Emmeryn replied. She bowed to him as well, and kept her expression serene. "I've come to learn the truth about this… unfortunate incident."

"Oh, if you want the truth, I can give it to you." A woman slinked up then, and I blinked at the amount of skin she showed. That wasn't a very smart thing to do in a place like Plegia, which was more than half desert. Scorching sun, gritty sand, and exposed skin rarely mixed well, even with those with darker skin, like hers. Besides, the sand could easily slip through the hems and collar of her outfit, meaning sand in very sensitive areas. It wasn't very practical at all. "If you do not mind my speaking, of course," the woman continued, completely oblivious to my trying to figure out why the hell she wore that outfit. Her tone seemed almost flirtatious, and I decided she purposely dressed that way to better seduce, and possibly kill, her victims. "Do you?"

"Of course I do not mind," Emmeryn replied. She still kept herself serene. "Perhaps my lady might honor me with her name first?"

"You may call me 'Aversa', Exalt Emmeryn." She smiled slowly, and I realized I… actually recognized that name. Vaguely. I mostly just remembered my mother praising a little girl who my father 'adopted'. But shortly after that, Mom escaped with us, so I'd never even seen the girl. That would explain the tattoos she wore, though. Among the Grimleal, many would tattoo themselves with the ink used to write tomes, allowing for faster casting times in exchange for pain. Few would have them so prominent, though. "Now, then about the girl…"

"Is she well?"

"Yes, she is…" Aversa gestured, and two soldiers walked up with a girl in a pink 'riding outfit' and falling about ringlets held between them. "You must forgive us for restraining her, as-"

"Unhand me, you gutter-born troglodyte!" the girl, obviously Maribelle, instantly snapped. She was not helping her case, name-calling like that. It would've been better to act meeker. "I should-!"

"As you can see, she is perfectly safe," Aversa continued with a little sigh, as if exasperated. "This girl crossed the border without consent and, worse, wounded the soldiers who only sought to escort her back."

"You speak nothing but lies, hag!" Maribelle glared, and stopped struggling. "Did they not teach you how to speak truth wretched-crone school?!"

"You can forgive us for keeping such a rude little bird caged, yes? We tired more quickly of blows to the eyes than her trying to burn our ears off with meager insults."

"Such a violent temper certainly speaks of her guilt," Gangrel sighed mournfully. It sounded genuine enough to make me uncomfortable; he was a good liar. "By our laws, this would be quite the weighty punishment. And should she have actually been a spy, much like the ones who breached our border in the past..."

"I have done nothing wrong!" Maribelle snapped. She continued to glare and snarl, as if she was in charge. She definitely had far too much pride. "They razed an entire village! When I went to stop them, they kidnapped me! Let the plundered shops and charred homes serve as my proof!"

"That, idiot girl, only serves that Ylisse has a bandit problem, something I've heard oft of late." Gangrel shrugged. "Nothing more, and nothing less. I shall, however, weep salty tears for your dead villagers, I assure you."

"That's not…!"

"Peace, Maribelle," Emmeryn interrupted. She shook her head and focused on Gangrel. "King Gangrel, I request that you release her at once. Surely we can work this out without the need for hostages?"

"Whyever would I think that?" Gangrel asked, looking surprisingly sincere. "You wouldn't have even come anywhere near here if we hadn't had her in our possession. You've proved quite well over the years that you never leave your ivory castle. Why, from my understanding, you just send your brother all over the place with his sheep or shepherds or whatever the hell they're called, making him do all the dirty work while you go about being the saint."

"That is…"

"Besides, why should I release her without so much as an apology? Why should I even bother with parley?" Gangrel scoffed. "I'm within my rights to simply have her head, and be home in time with supper!" He laughed as Chrom made to lunge, but I snagged his arm before he could. "Yes, yes, keep your dog prince on his leash, your grace. Someone might get hurt."

"My brother has nothing to do with this." Emmeryn looked up at Gangrel calmly. "You are the one who set this meeting up, King Gangrel. If you do not wish to parley, pray tell, why did you go through all this trouble?"

"Well, well, now we get to business at last." Gangrel snickered, clearly having fun with all of this. "I propose a trade, actually. You give me the Fire Emblem, and I'll give you Mary Contrary here in one piece."

"The… Fire Emblem?" For the first time, Emmeryn let her calm expression fall, replacing it with confusion. "Ylisse's royal treasure? Why?"

"Because I know the legend!" He gestured grandly, as if he were now on a stage. "The Fire Emblem is said to be the key to granting all of one's wishes! I have desired it for years, years!" He sighed, shaking his head. "Yet my birthday comes and goes each year, and nothing from Ylisse."

"The Emblem's power is not meant for granting wishes, King Gangrel. It is meant to protect the world." Emmeryn returned to her calm expression. "Would you claim so noble a wish?"

"I want what all Plegians want!" Gangrel smirked, and there was something broken and mad about it. "A grisly end to all of Ylisse! What could be more noble?" He cackled as Emmeryn simply stared, visibly startled. "Surely you've not forgotten what your father did! He named us heathens and his crusaded butchered countless of my people!"

"I…" Emmeryn shook her head. "I have never denied Ylisse's past wrongdoings, but I have sworn to atone for it. Ours is a realm of peace."

"Yours is a realm of hypocrisy! You did nothing to help Plegia! You just ended the war and left us to piece it together ourselves!" He snarled down at her. "Now, give me the Fire Emblem, or the girl dies!"

"Your grace, just leave me!" Maribelle snapped instantly, without even letting a silence fall. She struggled against the guards holding her. "I'd rather die than be used as a bargaining chip for this filthy reprobate!"

"Maribelle…" Emmeryn whispered. She hesitated, and in her eyes, I saw the very real fear that she would have to decide this, here and now. The Emblem, or her sister's best friend. "I…"

"Don't give them the Emblem," I advised, letting go of Chrom to walk to her side. Emmeryn turned to me, looking almost fragile, and I knew Chrom and Robin were glaring at me. I knew Lissa stared at me with horror. "He'll likely kill her anyway. Besides, do you even have it on you?"

"Well, no, I don't…"

"See? And he likely knows that." I shook my head. "He wants a war. He's going to get it. He's set this up far too perfectly. You made the mistake of thinking he wanted peace, and that his madness meant he was stupid. He's won. Do not promise him anything. Do not give him anything."

"But…"

"If you stall, I think I can sneak over and get to her." I looked her right in the eye. "It's going to be war, no matter what. Peace has been impossible since your father ravaged their lands. Do not fall for their trick any more than you already have, Emmeryn. I can get her."

She gave me a curious look then, and her eyes darted to Chrom for some reason before returning to me. Then she smiled slightly, though there was really nothing to smile at. "You've thought this out far more than me."

"I know Plegia's wrath a little better. That's all." I also was damned convinced that if Gangrel wanted the Emblem so much, it had something to do with the Grimleal. That meant it had something to do with Grima. I remembered vague stories about how the Fire Emblem was needed to contact Naga in the past. It stood to reason that Grima could also use it's power; power was simply power, after all. "Gangrel's about to make another scene."

"Are you just going to stand around talking?" Gangrel groaned, proving my point. He brought up his hand and mimed out a talking action with it. "Taaaalk-talk-talk-talk. Boring, really. It's time that actions speak instead!" He gestured sharply, and Plegian soldiers jumped down the cliffside. "Negotiations are over! I'll have your Emblem if I have to pry it from your shiny dead hands!"

The soldiers lunged forward, and, noticing I had no time to draw blade, I threw myself in front of Emmeryn, planning on taking advantage of my ability to simply survive to get through the assault. However, someone blocked the attack and it took me a few blinks to realize that there was a white cloak whipping about in front of me. Chrom had moved to shield Emmeryn and me, and easily countered the attack, injuring, but not killing, the soldier.

"Stay back," Chrom growled. He shifted into a better stance, standing firmly in front of Emmeryn and me. "Or you'll suffer the same fate."

"...Chrom, you big idiot!" I snapped, annoyed. He turned to me, startled. I knew I should probably thank him, but he should've just kept silent, and not…! "I know negotiations are off and everything, but gods damn it!"

"Wait, what did I do?"

"Gangrel's about to tell you, I bet!"

"Huh, there's someone with half a brain among your group. Interesting," Gangrel murmured, looking actually intrigued for once. But them he smirked, broken and mad once more. "But she's right. That right there was a declaration of war if I'd ever heard one!" He laughed, and it just… sounded wrong. "A big, messy war that'll bleed Ylisse dry!"

"...Oh, damn it," Chrom mumbled. I simply sighed heavily. "Well, um…"

"Later," I replied. I couldn't really blame him. Gangrel had launched the assault. It just… would've been better if someone other than Chrom had declared it. "I'm going to try and reach Maribelle before they kill her."

"...Please stay safe."

"I'll be back with her before you know it." I flashed a confident smile I didn't feel and started climbing up the cliffsides as the Plegian soldiers whirled about, gleefully laughing at the chance of fighting Ylisse. By the time I climbed up to where Gangrel and Aversa had been, the Shepherds were fighting, and my palms and fingertips were bleeding even through the gloves I wore.

Once there, I stuck to the edges of the cliffs, grimacing at how exposed this whole area was. There were not many places to hide, which was good when you were trying to find someone, but bad if you were trying to be sneaky about it. Thankfully, though, most were paying far more attention to the Ylissean soldiers and not to the hooded girl skulking about. So, I found Maribelle not far from the cliff I'd climbed, though certainly out of sight of the group. She was on her knees, with the soldiers holding her down, and Aversa stood in front of her, casually tossing her tome from one hand to the other.

"Poor, stupid girl," Aversa drawled, walking slowly to Maribelle. "Are you really worth fighting a war over?" She shook her head, laughing softly. "Years from now, you'll be remembered only as the girl who doomed House Ylisse. All because you decided to go and talk to the 'bandits' without any sort of back-up."

"I…" Maribelle began. Her earlier fire was gone, replaced with dread and tears. "Lissa… Chrom… I just wanted… to make their jobs easier… why did this…?"

"You may ask the gods when you see them. But I doubt you'll get an answer." Dark magic blossomed at her fingertips. "The gods don't care about insignificant people like you and me."

"If you're trying to make me cry, you'll have to try harder." Maribelle closed her eyes and lifted her head slightly, the picture of dignity. "Go ahead. You were planning it anyway."

"That I was." Aversa shrugged. "Goodbye, little rude bird." Just as she was about to cast the spell, though, the wind whipped up and battered the soldiers holding Maribelle, actually knocking them down. "What is this?!"

"Maribelle, let's go!" A child wearing an oversized hat and robes like Miriel rode up on a roan horse and held out his hand to her. "You're free!" he declared, stating the obvious. "Come on!"

"Aw, is this your little boyfriend?" Aversa asked, voice mocking and patronizing. "How precious."

"Don't talk down to me, witch!" The boy gestured with his other hand, and a fairly powerful Elwind ripped through the air and got her straight on. "Come on, Maribelle!"

"As if I'd let that stop me!" Aversa snarled and dark magic appeared around her. "I should-!"

"Enough of that," I replied, lunging forward and tackling her off her feet. "Procul vis, non tamen." My blood burned as I called upon a 'dispel magic' curse, and I winced at the pain. Curses drained my blood, and health, so they were situational at best. If I weren't Grima's Vessel, though, I wouldn't even be able to do this. "Don't stand around, you two!" I swung at Aversa's back, and when she dodged, I elbowed her in the face before kicking her into the cliffside. "We're getting out of here, now!"

"R-right!" Maribelle yelped. She jumped onto the horse, and easily urged it into a canter. I jumped down the path, mostly to get out of sight of Aversa before she got a good look at me. I'd… likely already revealed myself with that little trick, though. It wasn't the best of plans, but I'd wanted a bit more time before she could retaliate. Hopefully, she'd just arrogantly assume the soldiers would get us and leave us alone. Soldiers were easier to avoid.

When I judged we were a 'safe' distance away, I urged the two to dismount and gave them some water. Maribelle did her best to guzzle without guzzling, flushing lightly as she spilled some. I chose to ignore it, and instead focused on the boy. "Who are you?" I finally asked. I somewhat recognized him, but I knew nothing but his face. "Well?"

"My name is Ricken," the boy replied. He looked far too pleased with himself. Far too pleased. "I'm part of the Shepherds!"

"...There's a little kid in the Shepherds?"

He scowled instantly. "I am not a kid!"

"You're like twelve." He looked like a 'frail' twelve at that. "That's still a kid."

"I'm fifteen!" His scowl turned to a sulk. "Okay, fourteen-and-a-half."

"Fourteen." That was younger than Lissa. "Well, whatever. If you would like to be treated as an adult…" I gave him my drollest, sternest look. "Stupid plan."

"How was it stupid?!" He looked frustrated and angry. Maribelle kept quiet, but she did give me a curious look. She hadn't figured out why either. "I saved Maribelle!"

"Without backup. Without letting anyone know that you were near, meaning that if something had happened, you'd be dead and no one would know what the hell happened." I shook my head. "You escaped because I helped, and I was there by happenstance. Just because it happened to work out doesn't mean it wasn't a stupid plan. Only a child believes they alone can save anyone." I sighed. "Besides, you suddenly left during a declaration of war. People could make a good case that you left not to save Maribelle, but to deliver information to Plegia. I wouldn't be surprised if we have people doing that right now, desperate to save their own skins. In that case, you would've been tried, and likely convicted, as a traitor."

"But..." He still looked frustrated, but there was a slight, slight, bit of understanding in his face. At the least, he was thinking about it.

"It worked out, but not because you were the 'hero', and not because you're 'so strong'. It worked because you got very, very lucky. That's not something to count on." Besides, this was war. War had no need for 'heroes'; those who conquered war were 'survivors' only. People made their own heroes from the aftermath, to make themselves feel better. "So…" A loud 'crash' made us jump, and I looked up to see a wyvern had crashed into the cliffside, one wing charred with a thunder spell. Its rider had an arrow through their eye. "We're getting to a secure section. I, at least, told Robin where I was going."

This was going to be very bad.

"If one more wyvern tries to bite me, I'm going to put its head on a spike," I growled, wincing as I moved. I'd gotten tackled by a wyvern while trying to dodge a second one, right into some rocks. "Maybe that'll freak the rest out and then they can leave us alone."

"I'm sorry, darling, were you speaking to me?" Maribelle looked up from tending to Ricken, looking rather tired. We were in an abandoned, broken down fort for the cover, though there wasn't nearly as much as I'd like. Ricken had taken a pretty bad hit due to being too slow to get out of the way. "I don't suppose you found me a staff?" she asked softly, looking down at Ricken.

"No, not yet." I winced as I noticed how pale Ricken was. "How is he?"

"He fell unconscious, but I do not think his life is in… much danger." She sighed heavily. "I learned to heal, but it appears that my knowledge is rather useless without a staff."

"Well, he's not dead yet. That seems far from 'useless'." I smiled at her, noticing that she'd taken the ribbons out of her hair and used them to secure the heavily makeshift bandages of random cloth we'd found for Ricken. "I'll check outside again. Maybe I'll get lucky."

"I fear I used up most of my luck." Still, she smiled back. "Then again, I am normally quite lucky. Though it's not really..."

"You're not dead yet either. Considering everything, that's some damn good luck on your part." I left before she could reply, keeping to the shadows as wyverns flew overhead. This ruined fortress didn't have a wall on one side, and no roof, except for a small, small section, where Maribelle and Ricken were. Thankfully, few looked at a ruined fort for anyone, much less those to attack. The few who did… well, they didn't exactly stick around for long. Dying had a way of doing that.

Carefully, I stepped outside the ruined fortress, glancing around for anything that could be useful. I picked up a sword from a fallen soldier, leaving my near broken one behind. I snagged a couple of tomes for Ricken, just in case. I had to duck under a corpse at one point as a wyvern rider flew too close, but that ended up being a lucky thing: that corpse had been a healer, and they'd had a Mend staff. I snagged it and quickly darted back into the ruined fortress, wincing as my back protested. The pain was mostly in my lower back, which… I apparently used a lot more than I would've thought. However, I made it back and passed Maribelle the staff. She seized it with a little joyful cry and I set about rechecking the area while she worked on healing up Ricken.

"This is perfect, darling," she whispered, smiling. Ricken, meanwhile, stirred slightly, and I was reminded that the Mend staff also helped restore some energy. "Thank you."

"I just… got lucky," I replied, smiling back. I leaned against the wall, sighing slightly. I was very tired, and I had no idea how much longer I'd have to guard the two. We were near the edge of the battle, and it was clear even from here that the others were having a tough time. A lot of pegasus knights had died already; I had no idea if any Shepherds were dead or not.

"Might I ask you something?" She looked up at me. "You hold yourself with a certain… grace. Are you a noble?"

"Not… really, no?" I had to pause to think, though. Among the Grimleal, I had affectionately been called 'princess', and given my father was the Hierophant of the Grimleal, I supposed I was, technically, a noble of Plegia. The Hierophant, after all, held power equal to the King. "I certainly wasn't raised among nobility, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, how surprising. I didn't think a commoner could be so dignified." She looked genuinely curious, so I bit my tongue to curb my sarcasm. It was not an uncommon belief among nobility, especially in Ylisse where the courts had lots of pride in their 'lofty' bloodlines. Chrom and Lissa were very notable in how little they cared about status. "So peculiar. I suppose you must be the exception."

"I… highly doubt that." I shook my head. "Regardless, though-"

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot." She gave me quite the warm smile. "Thank you so much for taking care of Lissa on the way to Ylisstol. She told me all about it, you see. I'm glad to finally meet and thank you for that."

"...You're welcome?" I was about… ninety percent certain this girl took a head injury. "Is Ricken awake?"

"He is stirring. He might wake up soon and-" She screamed suddenly, and I whirled, barely blocking a sword strike. My eyes went wide as I realized just how close to death I'd been. "That's…"

"See if you can get him up, and hide in a corner!" I kicked my attacker between the legs and stabbed them through the back as they doubled-over, gasping in pain. It was then I realized something pretty bad: we had an entire group. "Gods, I hate you." One lunged forward and I made to parry, but a blade of wind shot over my shoulder. I glanced back to see Ricken was awake, if having to lean heavily against the wall to remain standing. Maribelle tried to tug him into a nearby corner, but he shook his head, stubbornly refusing. I almost told him off for it, since he looked ready to faint again, but more attackers came and I had to concentrate on fighting.

It was mostly sword users, no fliers or mages. Fliers were likely laying siege of the Shepherds, and mages must've been assisting. This was designed to be a quick and efficient strike force, made for quick killings… or quicker kidnappings. It did not escape me that these attackers were not striking to kill me. They struck to try and cripple, to knock me down and pin me. It worked to my advantage; I had no qualms with killing them. But it definitely told me one thing; Aversa had put the pieces together and likely had gotten just enough of a look to give orders. I was to be 'captured', and unless Aversa was selectively stupid, my father would learn before the day was over that one of his precious 'Vessels' was among the Ylisseans.

I hated when I was stupid. I really did.

"Damn it!" I snapped as one attacker actually darted past me. I whirled, meaning to go after them, but someone caught me in a grapple, and I had to struggle to pull them off before I was pinned. By the time I threw them off, into some sharp rocks, the attacker was right on Ricken and Maribelle, and Ricken was not fast enough to get a spell off. But someone else… was beyond fast enough. There was a blur of blues and whites, and it struck the attacker down in one quick strike straight through the back. It took me a couple of blinks to realize who saved them: Lon'qu.

"Made it," he murmured, turning to face me. His clothing was ripped slightly, and splattered with blood, but otherwise, he looked mostly fine. "Robin sent me ahead. We caught sight of the group heading here."

"Makes sense." I shrugged and smiled. Then I turned to Ricken and Maribelle. "And you two?"

"Well, Ricken needs to rest a bit more, in my opinion," Maribelle replied. She was on her knees, while Ricken leaning heavily against the wall. "Um… I need to thank you again."

"Thank him," I replied, pointing to Lon'qu for emphasis. He simply stepped away. "When, you know, he's not being stoic badass, I mean."

"Of course." She shifted as if to stand, but then paused, blinking slowly. "Uh oh."

"What's wrong?" Alarm flooded me. "Did you get hit?"

"No, no, I'm…" She laughed a little awkwardly, like she couldn't quite believe what was going on. "My legs… don't want to cooperate, though."

"Shock. It's fine." I helped her up, having her lean heavily on me. I glanced over at Ricken, and he just sat down, hiding his face in his knees. I hesitated before deciding to focus on Maribelle. I doubted he'd want reassurance from someone who scolded him, even though I was fairly certain he was going into shock too. "You went through a bandit attack, kidnapping, attempt of being used as a hostage, rescue from an execution, and now we're in the middle of a battle, which you don't have much experience with, right?"

"The way you say it, it's like you'd expect me to be screaming."

"More like a faint." I grinned as she scowled. "How are your legs?"

"...I… think I'm steady again?" She carefully pulled away and while her legs still shook, she was able to stand. "I might need help mounting up, though…"

"I'd give your legs a little bit more time to recover personally…" I looked back at Lon'qu. "I need you to guard Maribelle!" For a brief second, I saw very real fear in his eyes, but he masked it quickly. I remembered what Basilio had said and put a little more emphasis on what, exactly, was needed. "I need you to protect her. Her and Ricken."

He stared at me for a moment, before slowly nodding. "All right," he muttered. His expression was stonier than before. "I'll guard her. Them."

"Thank you," I murmured. I made sure to smile and then turned to Maribelle. "Stick with him. He's skilled and fast. I doubt any will hurt you with him as your guard, and when your legs are steadier, you can go back to the healing." I hesitated a bit before pulling a hair tie out of my pocket and tying her hair back in a simple ponytail. "From the looks of it, you have a preferred hairstyle that takes a lot of time to maintain. Use this until you can get back to that." I stepped away, and this time, I heard people approach. At least, I heard a person. "I'll be back. Stay here, you three."

I ran off before anyone could stop me, and had the chance to cut down one enemy before they even knew I was there. I didn't get so lucky with the second one, but I kicked them in the side and struck them down. I met the third outside the fortress, so I just shoved them off the cliffside before attacking some others. As I fought, I noticed something that made my stomach turn, though. These soldiers… many were younger than me. Many fought the same way, barely trained, clearly following a pattern, and not knowing what to when that pattern was disrupted.
These soldiers likely had been simple merchants or something just a few weeks ago. Gangrel called for volunteers to fight Ylisse, they jumped on it, and now, they died simply because I refused to die until I knew my father was dead. War… sucked. A lot.

As the last of them fell, a loud commotion made me turn. Then I blinked slowly as I took in the scene. There was a corpse at my feet, clearly someone who had tried to attack me from behind. Blondie stood just behind it, splattered with still dripping blood, axe casually resting on his shoulder.

"Don't worry!" he declared with a grin. "Teach has your back!"

"I feel so protected," I instantly retorted, more because sarcasm was easy when startled than anything else. When he made a face, though, I did smile. "Thank you… Vaike. I do appreciate not having sharp things in my back."

"Figured as much." He shrugged. "You fight like you're expecting Chrom there. Or, well, someone. Just, you know, it's been Chrom. So you don't watch your own back that much, instead keeping an eye on other things. But, Chrom's not here. Figured he'd want me to make sure your sexy back stays unharmed."

"Sexy back?" I rolled my eyes and he laughed. "Oh, whatever. Thank you." I paused, realizing something. "Wait, how long have you…?"

"Pretty much since you left that fortress thing. I came with Lon'qu, but he ran ahead when we noticed they'd beaten us." He shrugged. "I've just been behind you."

"Oh." Now I squirmed a bit. "Thank you. Again."

Thankfully, I was saved from further embarrassment and awkwardness. A strangled cry caught my ear then, and I jerked my head up to see Chrom… on the back of the enemy general's wyvern, having run the general through, and stabbed the wyvern in the head. Falchion glowed in his hands as he twisted and tumbled off just before the wyvern crashed down on the edge of a cliff and slid off. Both the wyvern and the rider hit some rocks hard, and it they weren't already dead, they were then. The rocks were too sharp for them to survive an impact like that.

"Points for dramatics, Chrom," Blon… Vaike instantly deadpanned. I could only nod in agreement. "I'll get him."

"Thanks," I murmured. I… honestly wanted to run and check on him myself, but I could see that Lissa and Robin were heading over here, so I chose against it. "Really, thanks."

"No prob." He shrugged and walked off, nudging some nearby corpses to make sure they were dead. As he did, Lon'qu walked out of the ruined fortress, carefully leading Maribelle and Ricken out.

Lon'qu then had to jump out of the way as Lissa, in tears, ran up and snatched Maribelle in a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe!" she sobbed. "Are you hurt?! Are you okay?!"

"Nothing I did not return twofold, darling," Maribelle replied loftily. She patted Lissa on the back. "There, there. I'm okay, darling. I'm just fine."

"B-but…"

"I'm fine, darling. Though, I would feel better if you smiled."

"My apologies for interrupting, but we might want to move to a slightly more secure area," Robin murmured as he walked to my side and gave me a quick hug. He met Maribelle's dirty look with ease. "Yes, I know you're not fond of me, but I'm glad to see you're safe nonetheless."

"Oh, it's not a question of fondness," she instantly replied. She glanced at the still crying Lissa. "I'm just protective of my dear Lissa." She squirmed, and it was clear these next words weren't something she really wanted to say. "I do… apologize… for being curt though. And… and you have my thanks for being part of my rescue."

"You don't have to-" Robin yelped as I nudged his side. "I mean… you're very welcome." He gave me a look and I rolled my eyes. "Oh, what did I do wrong this time?"

"Are… you two siblings?" Maribelle looked genuinely curious, while Lon'qu looked like he wanted to get the hell away from all us crazy people. "Lissa mentioned that his sister was joining the Shepherds as well…"

"We're twins, yes." Robin smiled, clearly quite proud of the fact. It made me smile. "Why?"

"Just… curious, really."

"All right?" Robin shrugged, and then glanced over to Ricken, who looked rather confused by everything. "Why is there a kid here?"

Ricken instantly squawked a protest, and I could only sigh. Here we go again.

The cliffs were dripping with blood. Corpses were piled from where they'd slid off the sides, but the terrain was still jagged enough that we could still reach them. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, though. I did know that there were so many wounded that those with 'minimal' injuries were just being bandaged up, and that Lissa and Maribelle were the only 'healers' about. Of course, that part had been because a Plegian mage got lucky and landed a damn good fireball on our 'supplies' convoy, meaning that most of the weapons and staves in there were useless, and Lissa hadn't gathered extra staves before jumping into the fight. We lost a lot of people with the tomes went up and the magic went wild.

"We need better defenses for convoys," Chrom muttered. He held himself perfectly still as I worked on stitching up his side. He actually had wounds that would've 'qualified' him for a healing staff treatment, but he'd stubbornly refused, so here I was, making sure his side healed in one piece. "Tomes need their own section… spreading them out might just be a good idea in general…"

"Multiple tents for staves, at the least," I murmured. I reached up and tapped his arm with a bloody hand. "Shift your arm a bit more around me. How are you doing?"

"My arm is cramping, but that's it. The numbing herbs are still working." He sighed, and then winced. "Ow…"

"Focus on breathing as normally as possible. Your ribs are bruised." As could be expected. He'd killed the leader after letting their wyvern literally tackle him so he could swing up. "Reckless."

"It worked."

"And if it hadn't?"

"Well, I couldn't dodge anyway, thanks to my injured leg?" He smiled sheepishly as he used his free hand to point to it, like I hadn't bandaged it myself just a few minutes ago. "I mean; I could've ducked maybe, but wyverns have claws."

"Yes, they do." Though, the wound to Chrom's side wasn't from a claw, or even a weapon. He'd been hit when the tomes burned and the magic within them was released explosively, all because he'd gone to try and pull some people out of range. "Almost done."

"Thanks." His smile warmed. "Really, I appreciate it."

I said nothing in return, just focusing on stitching up the last of his injury before tying off the thread and starting to bandage him up. As I was tying it off, though, I winced, feeling pain ripple through my lower back. My own wounds did not like that I'd sat in one place.

I'd thought I'd hid my pain well, but as soon as I sat back, Chrom rested a hand on my shoulder and whispered, "did you get your own wounds treated?"

"Yes, I did," I murmured. I looked away as he looked more and more concerned. "I'm fine."

"...You mentioned, when we met, that Robin was a horrible liar and his most common one was 'I am fine'." Chrom squeezed my shoulder. "It seems to be your most common one as well."

"Really, I'm-"

"Let me see." He actually leaned down to catch my eye again, and gave me the most entreating look. "Please? You tended to mine. Let me make sure that yours are truly fine."

"You're really too kind."

"I see no kindness in simply wishing to take care of someone who takes care of me." He smiled slightly. "Please?"

"...Oh, I give up." I sighed, and turned around, pulling up my shirt to show him the injury on my back. "It's mostly a bruise with a bit of scraping."

"Actually, this looks like a gash." Chrom's hand gently touched my back, and I stiffened a bit from the pain. "Yeah, that's a gash. Here, I'll bandage it."

"Chrom, don't you-"

"Need to bandage you up, yes." He reached around me, already starting. "Unless… this might be bad enough to-"

"No healing staves. I don't want to waste the charge."

"Then deal with me bandaging you." He worked slowly, his touch incredibly gentle as he made sure the bandage was smooth and taut. It felt very… strange. I felt rather warm, all things considered, like I was resting in sunshine or… or something. It was very strange, and I found myself focusing a lot on his hands. More than I thought necessary, at least.

As he tied off the bandage, I murmured, "thank you." I glanced at him over my shoulder as he sat back and I dropped my shirt. "Really, thanks."

"It's no trouble," he reassured. He smiled warmly. "Oh, should we continue that debate on kindness?"

"We could, I suppose. I still say you're far too kind."

"And I say that you only think that because you haven't had a lot of kindness." He sulked a little. "Rather, I'd like to spoil you. And Robin." The way he mentioned Robin almost made it seem like Robin was an 'afterthought'. "But you always fuss."

"No shit, I do." I pouted at him. "You're a prince. You have duties that don't involve 'spoiling' a random mercenary."

"What's wrong with spoiling a friend, though? Especially one that has done so much for me." He hesitated a bit. "Though… um… maybe I'm the only one who…"

"N-no, you're not wrong. I think." I squirmed a little. "I've… only had Robin for so long. I'm not… good at friendship…"

"I think Sumia would disagree." He smiled brightly. "And Lissa. And Virion. And-"

"I'm stopping before you list off most of the Shepherds because I know that's what you plan."

"Damn." He laughed a little, but then he stiffened. I turned to see Emmeryn walk up, looking strangely hesitant. "Uh…"

"How are you two?" Emmeryn asked. She tried to smile, but it faltered. I knew today weighed heavily on her, and now, she wasn't quite certain what to do. Especially since Chrom had correctly predicted it wouldn't work. "I saw…"

"We're all bandaged," I replied. I stood up slowly, and Chrom followed suit. He tried to put his shirt back on, but winced a bit as he tried to move, so I helped him. Or, tried to. "How the hell do you wear this? Why, even?"

"It's not that hard." He laughed a little as I gave him an incredulous look. "See?" He held still as I finally got the shirt over his shoulders, and he deftly got his hand through the sleeves and buttoned it up. "Easy."

"Why is there only one sleeve?"

"One of the castle tailor's daughter designed it. She was so excited about it that I asked for some clothes made with the design. The people seem to like it."

"You are a total dork." A little bit of giggling made me turn, and I remembered Emmeryn was nearby. Now giggling at us. "Uh…"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," she explained. She looked a little more relaxed now. "I remember that time. She was quite enthusiastic, though she's promised that her next one will be better and more… 'rational', I think she said?"

"Maybe two sleeves," Chrom joked. He stepped around me, towards Emmeryn, but then hesitated, and simply bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Emm. I acted rashly and…"

"No, no, Chrom, do not apologize." She closed the distance between them and gathered him into a hug. "You were only protecting Kestrel and me. King Gangrel is the one at fault."

"But…"

"As I said before, he wanted a war, and he was getting one," I pointed out. I shook my head as he glanced at me. "I only snapped at you saying the declaration. It would've been better, politically and propaganda speaking, if Gangrel had said the official declaration. That's all." Honestly, both Emmeryn and Chrom unintentionally gave Gangrel all the openings he'd needed. Plegian morale would be very high. "If only…"

"If only what?" Emmeryn prompted. She smiled sweetly at me as she pulled away from Chrom. "Please. I'd love to hear."

"It's a fool's thought, really." Still, I shrugged. "I was thinking that if you could talk to them directly, Emmeryn, you might be able to win them. Most Plegians I've met are just… angry and sad. They don't know why someone wanted them dead, just for existing. They find it hard to believe you, because you are distant, and because you are your father's daughter." I smiled slightly. "But… maybe if you could talk to them, and show them how sincere you are…"

"It didn't work on Gangrel."

"Gangrel is a king. A king must take on his people's wishes and wills. In many ways, a king is the embodiment of the people and their emotions. Just like you." I made myself smile, thinking of what Frederick said, the day we met her. I still thought it madness, but… "You took on your people's longing for peace, which you saw even through their anger, yes? It's the same thing. Gangrel took on his people's anger, and the madness that comes with obsession and revenge. So, of course you couldn't change his mind; you have to change the minds of his people before he can even begin to listen."

"...That's…" Emmeryn suddenly started laughing, and I flushed in embarrassment. "For a traveler, you certainly have the mind of a queen."

"I'm trying to be nice, and you just tease me!" My blush darkened and I scowled. "I just read a lot! Or, you know, as much as I could, considering everything. That's all."

"I must read those books, then."

"...Yeah, sure, I'm in the middle of some very ribald tales."

"Oh, that one. I read it." She continued to laugh as I stared. "Quite thrilling."

"That's one way to put it." I relaxed slightly, thinking bitterly that for as much as I'd complained about the people not seeing the 'real' Emmeryn, I'd done a bit of the same. I'd never have guessed that serene and calm Emmeryn would read smut. "Anyway, just do what you do, Emmeryn. Your people love you dearly, and they love Chrom and Lissa too. You can fix this mess."

"Thank you." She smiled warmly, and I got a sense that this was her very real smile. "I'm glad you think it can be fixed. It gives me hope."

"Oh, you'd get it back before long." I shrugged, ducking my head as embarrassment flooded me again. It didn't help that Chrom was also smiling softly at me, a smile that lit up his whole face. "I just… rambled until something made sense."

"Sometimes, that's all that's needed." She looked to something behind me, and smiled slightly. "Ah, Frederick…"

"Forgive me for interrupting, but according to Phila, we're ready to depart," Frederick said, walking up. He stood at 'attention' when he stopped, and looked even more serious than usual. "The Mad King is rallying his forces, if they are not mobilized already. We must return to the capital at once, and discuss our strategy."

"Yes, we do," Emmeryn confirmed. Her face fell, though. "War is upon on. We must protect the people, with all that we are."

"We will, my lady. I promise."

"Yes…" Emmeryn still didn't look quite convinced, and I didn't blame her one bit. After all, despite my encouragement, I had a bad feeling of things to come. A very, very bad feeling.

...I was going to keep close to Emmeryn as we got back. Now would be the perfect time for an assassination.

Notes on Miriel

Class - Mage; Reclass - Dark Magic, Troubadour

The daughter of a very rich merchant and an acclaimed scholar, she'll sometimes talk as if she swallowed a damn dictionary and spit out every word in it. Also has some riding experience.

Fond of experimentation, to the point that she can actually be a bit of a ditz. Mostly because she just doesn't pay attention to anything but her studies, and she has zero common sense.

Highly perfectionistic, orderly, and efficient, she's probably the only reason why the barracks are in any way neat, and you can tell when she's been through.

Author's Notes: For a better explanation of Kestrel's 'curses', she requires an 'incantation' spoken in Old Plegian (Latin) and it burns off parts of her HP in order to use (like Gaiden's spells in general). There's little information on when Aversa was adopted by Validar, only that she was young, and bits of dialogue from supports hint she's 8-12 years older than Chrom (Meaning she's about 9-13 years older than Kestrel and Robin). As such, I'm choosing to have Kestrel 'aware' of Aversa, but never really met her. 'Hierophant' is a title used later in the game to refer to another character; I'm choosing to have it be the title for 'leader of the Grimleal' for convenience.

Ricken has speed issues. A lot. Of speed. Issues. In game, Maribelle starts with a Mend staff, but I had that 'found' instead since… it makes little sense for a hostage to have anything that could be used as a weapon (staves can be used to hit people, game mechanics be damned). Maribelle also has one of the highest luck growths of the first generation chars.

Next Chapter - Foreseer